With a slice of history on the line, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic rose to the occasion on Sunday night in Melbourne as he defeated Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(3) in the final of the Australian Open.

Victory at Melbourne Park sees Djokovic equal Roy Emerson’s record of six Australian titles. It marks his 11th Grand Slam championship, moving him into equal fifth place with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on the all-time list for most major titles and closing the gap on his great rivals Roger Federer (17) and Rafael Nadal(14).

Every Grand Slam title is very significant in its own way,” said Djokovic. “Here, because of the fact that I managed to make history tonight and equal Roy Emerson’s six Australian Open titles. I’m very honoured to be mentioned alongside legends of our sport like Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, and to win as many Grand Slams as they did.”

“I can’t lie and say I didn’t think about it. Of course it was in the back of my mind. Coming into the court I knew that I had a chance to make history. Of course it served as a great motivation, as a great imperative to play my best.”

Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam crowns (used to be referred to as MAJORS) in 2015, only denied the calendar slam by Stan Wawrinka in the Roland Garros final.

The 28 year old has a staggering 57-6 record in Melbourne, winning his first major title there in 2008 (d. Tsonga) before returning as champion in 2011 (d. Murray), 2012 (d. Nadal), 2013 (d. Murray) and 2015 (d. Murray).

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his win against Andy Murray of Britain after Djokovic during the Men’s Final at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 31 January 2016. EPA/FILIP SINGER

It’s phenomenal,” said Djokovic. “I’m very proud of it, as is my team. We worked very hard to be in this position, and we should enjoy it. We should cherish every moment that we get to experience now because these are the tournaments that we all value, that we all want to play well in.”

“No doubt that I’m playing the best tennis of my life in the past 15 months.”

Djokovic improved to a 22-9 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Murray as he wrapped up victory in two hours and 53 minutes. The Belgrade native won six of their seven meetings last season. Since Murray defeated the Serb in the 2012 US Open final, Djokovic has won 14 of their past 16 contests.

Djokovic made a lightening start to the match. After saving a break point in his opening game, the Serb raced into a 5-0 lead in just 19 minutes. Murray began to find his range in the latter stages, but could not stop Djokovic sealing the opener in 30 minutes.

In a keenly contested second set, Murray saved four break points in the third game, before he paid the price for forehand unforced errors as Djokovic broke for a 4-3 lead. Murray immediately struck back, breaking for the first time in the match to level at 4-4, but lost his serve from a 40/0 advantage in the 11th game as Djokovic regained the initiative. Two double faults from Djokovic gave Murray the chance to level in the 12th game, but the Serb steadied himself to close out the two-set lead.

Building on his momentum, Djokovic broke Murray in the first game of the third set, but the Dunblane native was not going down without a fight. He broke Djokovic in the sixth game to draw level and ultimately force a tie-break. But two double faults from Scot proved his undoing in the early stages of the tie-break, gifting Djokovic a lead that he would never recover.

Since the start of the 2015 US Open, Djokovic has compiled a 38-1 match record, with his only defeat coming to Roger Federer in the round robin stage of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – he would beat the Swiss when they met again in the final later that week. In that spell, Djokovic has gone 17-1 against Top 10 opponents. He opened his 2016 ATP World Tour campaign with victory in Doha, where he dismissed Rafael Nadal in the final for the loss of just three games.

Andy Murray of Britain plays a shot against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 31 January 2016. EPA/MADE NAGI

It was a familiar tale for Murray, who has finished runner-up in the Australian Open final five times, with four of those defeats coming to Djokovic. He was also beaten by Federer in the 2010 final. The Dunblane native is only the second man in the Open Era to lose five finals at any one major, joining his former coach, Ivan Lendl, who was five times the runner-up at the US Open.

The Scot has a 2-7 record in Grand Slam finals, with his two triumphs coming over Djokovic at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon.

“I saw some of the stats just at the end of the match,” said Murray. “He won 24 more points than me. I had 24 more unforced errors [than him]. I think I didn’t hit my forehand particularly well at the beginning of the match. I started to hit it better in the third set. But that was it.

“The end of the second set, obviously the game I lost 40/0 up, was a tough one. Maybe I could have nicked that set. I was starting to have quite a lot of opportunities in the second. I had a few chances there when I got the break back I think. That was a tough game to lose.

“Then obviously in the third I felt like towards the end of the set, after I got the break back again, that I was creating a few chances. In the tie-break, I missed two second serves by a little bit. He had served an ace on the T, which was in by a little bit.

I’m proud of the way I fought and managed to get myself back into the match and create chances for myself.”

Composed, driven and keeping errors in check, Kerber conquers Mt Williams at Australian Open

God, they say, is in the details. Angelique Kerber discovered on Saturday that if you carried your conviction to court and kept the faith in yourself, it is possible to scale a new peak, even if it meant getting past a mountain called Serena Williams. Kerber stuck to her game plan with a monk like focus to overcome Serena and earn the Australian Open title.

Serena is no stranger to formidable German opponents. She was all of 17 when she inflicted a three set defeat on Steffi Graf for the Indian Wells title nearly seventeen summers ago. It was in the lead up to the French Open in 1999, which was to be the 22nd and last grand slam title of the legendary German’s immense career. On Saturday, Williams was at the Australian Open, clearly focused on emulating the great German’s collection of grand slam trophies.
Angelique Kerber stunned Serena Williams in Melbourne. Getty

But there was a supposedly innocuous German across the net defending Steffi’s fortress of greatness. At 28, she had finally reached the climax of a grand slam tournament for the first time in her 14 years on the tour. And she was facing one of the greatest competitors women’s tennis has ever known, a woman who had lost just four of 25 major finals.

Naturally, the lead up to the final was all about Serena. The Sun in Australia was believed to have printed their back page with Serena standing on seventh heaven. The great American was brutally efficient on her way to the final – blanking Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinal, losing a grand total of just 26 games. On the other hand, Kerber was down match point to Japan’s Misaki Doi in the very first round before battling her way back to emerge an unlikely finalist.

“I have nothing to lose against Serena,” said the elated German, as she prepared for the biggest match of her life. “I will go out there, try to enjoy my first final, and try to beat Serena, of course, as well. I must play my best tennis to have a chance.”

“I think the final comes at the right moment,” added Kerber, who spent a few days hitting with Steffi at the Agassi’s Las Vegas home in March last year. Working briefly with her idol and soaking in Steffi’s thoughts have obviously filled Kerber with a new air of positivity. “I think I’m ready for it because I have a lot of experience the last few years. I beat top players. I am a top player now.”

But this was a grand slam final and Kerber, despite all her confidence, may have walked out feeling very nervous against the one of the most formidable opponents tennis may have ever known. Surprisingly, like a woman who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Serena was all over the place in the first set.

The world No.1 made 23 unforced errors in an edgy first set, helping Kerber settle down inside the imposing environs of the Rod Laver Arena. The German kept her end of the net steady, making just three errors, as she took advantage of her opponent’s sloppy start.

Williams though is an intimidating opponent – her guttural screams, the intensity in her eyes and the power behind her shots have forced many an opponent into meek submission, from a position of advantage. Just ask Viktoria Azarenka.

When she gathered herself to take the second set, the momentum was firmly back in her corner. After being 12-23 in the first set, Serena had 16 winners to 5 unforced errors in the second set, a much-improved effort.

It felt for a moment that the bout may have ended, with Serena set to assert herself. After all, the 34 year old player had never lost the third set of a grand slam final (8-0) and won every final that she reached in Melbourne (6-0). Till Satruday, 30 January 2016, that is.

Kerber though, seemed to have acquired nerves of steel on her way to the final. She was threading the needle in the second game, passing Serena at will to strike first in the final set for a 2-0 lead. Serena summoned her willpower to reel Kerber back immediately to draw level at 2-2.

The fifth game of the final set was remarkable, offering a glimpse into the mental fortitude of the German. In a marathon 11 minute game, Kerber refused to blink, eventually rattling Serena into submission. It was an education for any young tennis player watching the game.

Kerber produced a couple of drop winners in the game, shots that required monumental calm and enormous courage especially against an opponent like Serena. The German walked a straight line from there, playing with a steady hand and stubborn mind to find herself serving for the biggest title of her career.

Needless to say there were clear hints of nerves, as she began to realise the enormity of the occasion. But Serena drove a volley long on Kerber’s first match point leaving the German screaming her lungs out even as she collapsed to her back in celebration.

Sport at the highest levels is an art form. It is always naïve to try and capture it in numbers. But some of the numbers are worth narrating in the context of this German tale.

In six previous matches, Serena played just 25 rallies that lasted over nine shots. Kerber dragged Serena into a bruising battle of patience by forcing her to play 22 of those in the final. Incredibly, Kerber won the skirmishes too – winning 60-52 on rallies that lasted less than 4 shots.The American intimidates her opponents by surveying the net with ferocity. On Saturday, Serena won just 15 of 32 net approaches, damaging herself badly in the process. The world No.1 also made 46 unforced errors to just 13 from Kerber, a difference that proved fatal in the end.

The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup was just reward for the hard working German. She ran tirelessly this fortnight, clocking over 12 kilometers on her legs, making her opponents play the extra ball with an incessant consistency.

Saying that this win was all about being comporsed at the big stage, Kerber had this to say after the match: « I was trying to believe much more in myself. You know, when I won the first set, when I won against Azarenka, that shows me that I really am a good player and I can show it as well on the big courts. »

« I was not playing very good last year on the big tournaments. This is the first big tournament of the year, and I won it, the first Grand Slam. It sounds crazy, but I can say I’m a Grand Slam champion now. »

Crazy, indeed.

Kerber’s tenacity got the better of Serena, but one has to also wonder if the American is beginning to get very conscious of the magnitude of her Himalayan accomplishments.

But for now, let us just celebrate one of the biggest stories of an underdog triumph in recent times that gave us one of the best ladies’ finals in a grand slam.

Kerber, Raonic biggest rankings movers after Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Angelique Kerber’s upset win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open and Milos Raonic’s second Grand Slam semifinal appearance will ensure they’re the biggest movers among top players in projected rankings to be released …

Australian Open just begins. Just remember 2014. This is an incredible year for Novak. He won 7 titles, including Wimbledon. Novak finished the year at No.1 ! 🙂 I wish him to do better this 2015 tennis season.

Thank you to all the people who came to visit my blog at least 1 time or for your fidelity, your encouragements it always gives me great pleasure and I hope to do same and even better in 2015 !!! I put articles of all kinds and all topics, some people will like and some people maybe don’t like at all but even if we all have our particular tastes, the fact to come to appreciate or even to reblog my articles and see the numbers of visits and visitors from the entire world always warms my heart so I really wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU 🙂 !!!!!

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